It was when Baz started talking about his vision for this movie that wasn’t just making a biopic. I was much more just like, ‘Oh, that’s Elvis,’ but not unmoved either way. Was Elvis someone he had been wanting to make a movie about for a while?Ĭatherine Martin: Baz has been talking about Elvis since I met him over 30 years ago, so he has had a real interest in his place in the pantheon of icons of America and how what he did intersected in kind of a momentous period in history in America. You do both production design and costumes, which is not something you see that often, but you’re also a producer, so you can make sure those departments have a proper budget. Tom Hanks co-stars as Colonel Tom Parker, the semi-scrupulous Dutch emigré who would become Elvis’ manager and pave the way for some of the singer’s greatest triumphs but also set the stage for his tragic downfall and premature death.Īs might be expected from a Baz Luhrmann film, Elvis looks marvelous, and as always, his wife is working with him hand-in-hand to make his grand vision come to life on the big screen in a way we rarely get to experience, as Elvis is only Luhrmann’s sixth feature film in 30 years.īelow the Line had the immense pleasure of speaking with Martin by phone about many aspects of Elvis, both the movie and the rock legend himself.īelow the Line: You have a really interesting relationship with Baz, besides being his wife, obviously. It follows his rise from poverty to fame and fortune, from his days as a young performer in the South to the height of his stardom and ultimately, his demise. Īs the title might imply, the film is Luhrmann’s take on the story of rock ‘n’ roll icon Elvis Presley, as portrayed by Austin Butler ( Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ).
Disco costume full#
She has been Luhrmann’s production designer going back to Strictly Ballroom in 1992, and she has designed the costumes for all of his films with the exception of Romeo+Juliet, and a t the same time, she has worked her way up the production ladder to become a full producer on both Gatsby and Luhrmann’s latest effort, Elvis. Austin Butler as Elvis Presley (Image via Warner Bros.)Ĭatherine Martin is just an incredible craftsperson, an amazing woman who has won four Oscars for her work with her husband, director Baz Luhrmann - two each for her costumes and production design for Moulin Rouge! in 2001 and The Great Gatsby in 2013.